Jake Gyllenhaal’s new movie with Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. based on the Zodiac killer looks awesome. And it has looked awesome for the past like…year it’s been in limbo.

I hate it when movies take forever to get released but luckily this one will make it to theaters in March 2007.

Here’s a storyline description for the crime thriller:

A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970’s case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith’s book, the movie’s focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.

This movie starts off with a great bang. It’s extremely engaging and we are immediately drawn to the normality and mundanity of Jamie Foxx’s character, a lonely cab driver especially when he develops a small friendship with Annie, Jada Pinkett Smith’s character, which makes what comes next all the more jolting and astounding.

Tom Cruise is excellent and stunning as a hitman who has a certain number of hits to do before the end of the night, and has forced kindly cab driver Jamie Foxx to chauffeur him to each of his hits. I’ve never really been a fan of Tom Cruise because he always seems to do big blockbuster movies, and I’m more of a simple, human movie kind of guy, but he was thoroughly impressive in Collateral and steps out of his safe zone as the heroic protagonist to play someone none of us knew was in his range.

Jamie Foxx’s performance was equally thrilling, adding a very human element to this character and to the piece as a whole. He is the reason we get caught up in the plot in this movie because we care what happens to his character. This is one of what I’m sure is going to be many more great performances from this promising young actor.

Overall, this is a great movie, if you ignore some slow moments in the middle, and a great piece of entertainment for all. Two Thumbs up.

February’s Hottie of the Month is Just Like Heaven star Mark Ruffalo. I absolutely love this man. Some of you might remember him from In The Cut with Meg Ryan, 13 Going On 30 with Jennifer Garner, Rumor Has It with Jennifer Aniston, the Academy Award nominated You Can Count On Me with Laura Linney, and countless others.

Mark has a movie coming up with Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. called Zodiac. I’ve posted pictures in a this previous post.

Here is an interview with Mark around the time that 13 Going On 30 was released.

Click here for nude pictures of Mark Ruffalo